Big Turnout For Treatment Centre Meeting

Barb Levesque.

Written by Peter McIntyre 107.5 KISSFM  Friday, 07 September 2012 13:05
More than 200 people turned out for an information meeting over the new addictions treatment centre that will open this fall in Vernon's Harwood neighborhood.  The John Howard Society will be operating the ten bed facility for men on 43rd Avenue, along with a sober-living apartment. JHS Executive director Barb Levesque says they had only expected about 100 people at the Alliance Church, and she says many of the attendees were initially angry with concerns. "Those are all valid concerns and they needed to be answered. From our perspective, because there had been so much communication with the community through emails and telephone calls, I thought that most of the concerns had been properly addressed, but it was really clear there are still really grave concerns among some of the community members." Levesque says the concerns included the safety of children and seniors, it's the wrong site for such a facility, who the clients will be, and if they will have criminal records. Levesque says some the clients will have criminal convictions, noting even impaired driving is a criminal offence, but she says applicants will be screened, and only the ones deemed ready for recovery will be allowed. "When people apply to live in that housing, they will all be screened, and one way people can set some parameters is by joining the neighborhood council. Who we're looking for is people who are assessed to being ready for recovery, and because we only have ten beds and we know we will have a wait list, we are looking for the people that are the most committed to sobriety and are assessed to be ready for this type of program" Levesque was surprised at some of the concerns. "With regard to children, there was a shocking perception that people who are addicts are sex offenders or pedophiles, and we really have to work harder to make sure people understand (that's not the case.)" By the end of the more than two hour meeting, Levesque says most of the people had calmed down and ten residents agreed to sit on a neighborhood council that will address concerns about the facility, slated to open in November.